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material in umbilical cords after birth—side-stepping the controversy over drawing stem cells from embryos, according to the company.

BioVex — Woburn, MA

BioVex is developing genetically modified viruses to treat cancer and infectious diseases. This spring Luke wrote about the positive results BioVex reported in a mid-stage clinical trial in which its lead drug—a genetically modified herpes simplex virus—partially shrank melanomas in more than a quarter of patients studied. The company hopes to close a major financing next year to fund further development of its treatments.

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals — Watertown, MA

Dicerna has garnered attention in the white hot RNAi field with its next-generation RNAi treatments. The venture-backed company, which says its offers alternative gene-silencing drugs to Alnylam’s and others, is developing drugs that block so-called Dicer enzyme and could be longer-lasting than competing RNAi drugs.

EyeGate offers potential relief for those of us who have had needles stuck in our eyes to treat such conditions as dry eye and uveitis. The venture-based company is developing a proprietary delivery technology to administer drugs to the front- and back-surface tissues of the eye—no needle required. We profiled the firm and its non-invasive approach to delivering eye treatments earlier this year.

Idera Pharmaceuticals — Cambridge, MA

Idera is a leading developer of DNA- and RNA-based drugs that target immune-system receptors called Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as a means of treating such ailments as … Next Page »